Feeding device for metalized material or gold leaf



J. L. GORE 2,248,298

FEEDING DEVICE FOR METALIZED MATERIAL 0R GOLD LEAF July 8, 1941.

Filed July 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l J. L. GORE 2,248,298

FEEDING DEVICE FOR METALIZED MATERIAL 0R GOLD LEAF July 8, 1941.

Filed July 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 8, 1941 FEEDING DEVKCE FOR METALIZED MATERIAL R GOLD LEAF James L. Gore, Chicago,

Gare (70., Chicago, IiL,

nois

Ill., assignor to Stolpa corporation of Illi- Claims.

The present invention relates to a feeding device for metalized material or gold leaf and more particularly to an attachment adapted to be associated with a printing press or the like for feeding predetermined lengths or strips of metalized material or gold leaf thereto.

The invention comprehends novel means and mechanism for feeding predetermined lengths or strips of metalized material or gold leaf to a printing press for stamping on a cover for a book or the like. The novel device is in the form of an attachment so constructed, arranged and combined that it may be quickly and easily applied to any of the printing or stamping presses now on the market or in use where the metalized material or gold leaf is manually or otherwise applied to the book cover or the like, and then pressure is applied by the press to print or stamp from the metalized material or gold leaf onto the book. It is an object of my invention to provide a device wherein the various strips of metalized material or gold leaf may each be accurately controlled and drawn through the press a predetermined, different distance depending upon the length or strip of metalized material or gold leaf required for each line or portion of the cover and by using but one feeding roll.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device which will keep each strip of metalized material or gold leaf taut at all times.

In the printing or stamping on a book cover or the like with metalized material or golf leaf, it is usual to have the printed matter separated or spaced apart so as to provide printing at the top of the book, other printing in the center of the book, and other printing at the bottom thereof. Between these places there is a wide amount of space in which there is no printing. If metalized material or gold leaf is to be stamped or impressed into the printed portions, this may be accomplished by placing strips of metalized material or gold leaf over the places to be printed by hand or to feed the metalized material or gold leaf to the machine or press bymechanical means. Onewayto do this mechanically is to provide a roll of metalized material or gold leaf of sufficient width to cover the entire book but this results in a great waste of metalized material or gold leaf which is expensive and hence makes the operation almost impracticable except where there is a great amount of printing on the book cover. Another way is to provide means for feeding narrow strips of metalized material or gold leaf to the places on the book where it is needed. In the past, this has required a very complicated machine which is expensive to manufacture, difiicult to keep in working order, and requires a great deal of servic- The present attachment or device is of simple construction requiring but one roller with arcuate or segmental portions associated with the roller so as to feed each strip only the desired amount, thereby affording a considerable saving in the amount of metalized material or gold leaf used.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a feeding device which will feed the strip of metalized material or gold leaf accurately and maintain its alignment so as to eliminate all possibility of the feeding device pulling the metalized material or gold leaf out of line as often happens when two wide rollers are used to feed or pull a single narrow strip of metalized material or gold leaf.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel clutch mechanism for throwing the roller into and out of engagement with the driving mechanism for the press.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efficiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

The invention further resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change, and comprehends other details, arrangements of parts, features and constructions without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view partly in cross section of a printing or stamping press to which the present invention has been applied.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the rear portion of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view partly in vertical cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing my novel segments and clutch members.

Figure 4 is a view of the clutch actuating mechanism taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a View taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 showing the face of one of the clutch plates.

. Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of two of my novel segment members.

Figure 8 is a view in vertical cross section of one of the shafts to which a segment has been attached and showing the manner of securing the segment in its proper position.

Figure 9 is a view in end elevation of a segment mounted in position.

Referring more particularly to the embodiment shown in the drawings, the printing or stamping press is shown generally at I. This press is operated from a suitable source of power (not shown) by means of a belt 2 which rotates a pulley wheel 3 keyed or secured to a shaft 4. Also located on the shaft 4 is a cam '5 which is adapted to contact a roller 6 of a reciprocating bar or lever l for raising and lowering the bed plate or platen 8 of the press into and out of association with the upper plate 9. Foot pedal I is provided to actuate an arm member II for raising the bar or lever 1 and maintaining it out of engagement with the toggle bar A. For

this purpose, the undersurface of the bar or lever i.

1 is notched to receive the toggle bar A and when so engaged, moves the toggle B to raise and lower the bed plate or platen 3. When the operator steps on the treadle ID to raise the reciprocating bar or lever 'l, he disengages this lever from the toggle cross bar A and stops operation of the press. Suitably mounted above and in front of the plate 9 on an arm I2 is a shaft E3 on which is adapted to be mounted a plurality of reels or rolls I l of strips of metalized material or gold leaf [5. The strips of metalized material or gold leaf 55 are fed under the plate ii at the spaced points where it is desired to print or impress this metalized material or gold leaf on a book cover or the like, and then passes between a shaft is and roller I! to reels I8 and if? on rewind shafts Eli and 2 i, respectively, which may be suitably mounted on brackets 2m secured at the opposite sides or rear of the press I.

The roller I7 is of rubber or other yieldable or resilient material and is adapted to contact a plurality of segments 22 and 23 on the shaft is. The present novel invention comprehends the use of a plurality of these segments or arcuate members which may be of different sizes depending upon the extent of the printed matter, and so constructed and combined with the roll if as to draw the metalized material or gold leaf through the desired extent in accordance with the arcuate length of the segment. For invi stance, if there is but one inch of printing on the upper part of the book, a one-inch segment is used and this will draw the strip of metalized material or gold leaf from its respective reel through the press a distance of approximately one inch. If two inches of printing is required at the bottom part of the book, a two-inch segment will be used which will draw from its respective reel a strip approximately two inches long. These segments are of various sizes so that any desired arcuate or peripheral length may be provided or assembled, as desired. While I show in the drawings but two strips, any desired number may be used.

The shaft i3 and roller i 7 are driven from the shaft 1 by means of a chain or belt drive if adjacent one end of the shaft and which in turn rotates sprocket wheel 25 which is loose on one end of the shaft 2 5 for the roller l1.

Closely adjacent this sprocket wheel 25 is a clutch member 2? keyed to the shaft 26. This clutch member is provided with an annular groove 28 connected with a lateral opening or well 27a in which is mounted a plunger 29 having an intermediate slot 29a, and a spring 231) for urg- III ing the plunger out of the well. Shaft 26 is suitably journalled in a support 30 on one end of which, and adjacent the sprocket wheel 25, is provided a lug or boss 3| forming a bearing for a shaft 32 on which is loosely mounted a trip arm 33 having a blade 34. This trip arm is provided with a spring 35 tending to normally maintain the blade in the groove 28 whereby the blade will enter the slot 29a and force the plunger 29 rearwardly into its opening and against the action of the compression spring 2%. On the support 39 and opposite the lug or boss 3| is a lug 36 to which is attached a bracket 3'! providing a mounting for a pin or stub shaft 38 on which is pivotally mounted a clutch actuating member 39 having a longitudinally extending opening 40 in one end thereof from which projects a bent arm 4| adjustably held in the opening by means of a set screw or the like. At the opposite end of the member 39 is loosely mounted, by means of a pin or the like, a clutch actuating tooth or trigger 42 normally held in a projected position (Figure 4) by means of a leaf spring 43. In this position, the tooth or trigger $2 is adapted to contact the outer projection M of the trip arm or member 33. A spring 43a and gravity normally move the member 38 in a counter-clockwise direction on its stub shaft 38 so that it follows the raising and lowering of the platen or bed 8. Locking cam surfaces on the tooth and member 39 prevent clockwise rotation of the tooth beyond the position shown in Figure 4. On the inner face 55 of the sprocket wheel 25 is formed an arcuate, inclined groove 46 which gradually deepens into a clutching face 4? and which provides the complementary clutch element for clutching the sprocket wheel to the shaft 25.

In the operation of the clutch mechanism, the clutch actuating member 39 is so positioned on the shaft 38 that the bent arm 4| will normally contact the platen or bed 8 of the press. When the operator removes his foot from the treadle Hi, the cam 5 will actuate the member I to raise the platen or bed 8 and with it the arm 4! which moves the tooth 42 of the member 39 downward past the end of projection or pawl 44 of the member 33. When the platen or bed 8 is lowcred, the tooth 42 will contact the projection or pawl 44 and raise it so that the blade 34 will be raised and removed from the slot 29a momentarily to permit the spring-pressed plunger 29 to be moved outwardly where it contacts the face 45 and enters the groove 45 of sprocket wheel 25 to finally seat in the opening 41 and clutch the member 21 with the continuously rotating sprocket wheel 25 to thereby rotate the shaft 25 one turn. When the plunger 29 has completed one turn, the mechanism is so related and combined that the blade 36 will re-enter the slot 3i and force the plunger 29 rearwardly or outwardly from the opening 47 against the action of the spring 2% whereby to disconnect or declutch the members 25 and 2'! and cause the shaft 23 to cease rotating.

At the other end of the shaft 26 is provided a gear wheel 48 in mesh with and driving a gear wheel 49 on the shaft it which is suitably journalled in supports 50 on the opposite sides of the press. The gears 48 and 49 are of the same size so that each time the shaft 26 rotates once it will drive or rotate the shaft it through one revolution.

Suitably keyed on the shaft I6 is a plurality of circular clamp members 5| each locked against lateral movement by a set screw m and provided with a threaded shank 52 upon which is threaded a locking collar 53. These clamp members are adapted to receive and hold in place the segmental members 22 and 23. A lug 54 is provided on each of the clamp members 5| to form a suitable stop for one end of the segments so that each segment thereof will be positioned at the same place or have the same starting point. Between the end clamp member 5| and the frame is a pulley 55 for rotating the rewind shafts 20 and 2| from the shaft I6 by means of a belt 56 whereby one rotation of the shaft I6 will rotate each of the shafts 20 and 2| at increased linear speed to keep the metalized ma terial or gold leaf taut, the difference being taken care of by belt slippage and slight friction of reels l8 and 19 on the shafts 20 and 2|. In order to adjust the shaft l6 and its assembly with relation to the roller IT, the shaft I6 is mounted at its opposite ends in adjustable eccentric bushings 51 and 58. Adjustment of these bushings compensates for any wear on the co-operating parts as well as permits adjustment of the pressure between the arcuate segments and roller l1.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. A device for feeding metalized material or gold leaf to a printing press, comprising a roller and a plurality of segments of different peripheral lengths for feeding the metalized material or gold leaf to the printing press, and means for rotating the roller and segments including a drive member on the roller, drive means c0nnect ing said drive member with the drive shaft of the press, a clutch member keyed to the roller and adapted to be clutched to the drive member, and means for causing said members to clutch and rotate after each operation of the press to thereby rotate the roller and segments and draw a new length of metalized material or gold leaf into the press.

2. A device for feeding metalized material or gold leaf to a printing press, comprising a pair of shafts, a roller on one shaft and a plurality of segments of predetermined, different peripheral lengths on the other, and clutch mechanism for intermittently rotating the shafts to cause the segments to contact the roller for feeding predetermined lengths of metalized material or gold leaf to the press, said clutch mechanism including a drive member freely rotatable on the roller shaft and provided with a clutching face, a complementary clutch member keyed on the roller shaft, and means actuated by the raising and lowering of the platen of the press for clutching and declutching the clutch member with the drive member.

3. A device for feeding metalized material or gold'leaf to a printing press, comprising a pair of shafts, a roller on one shaft and a plurality of segments of predetermined, different peripheral lengths on the other, and clutch mechanism for intermittently rotating the shafts to cause the segments to contact the roller for feeding predetermined lengths of metalized material or gold leaf to the press, said clutch mechanism includin a drive member freely rotatable on the roller shaft and provided with a clutching face, a complementary clutch member keyed on the roller shaft, and a clutch actuating member initiated by movement of the platen of the press for clutching and declutching the clutch member with the drive member.

4. A device for feeding metalized material or gold leaf to a printing press, comprising a pair of shafts, a roller on one shaft and a plurality of segments of predetermined, different peripheral lengths on the other, and clutch mechanism for intermittently rotating the shafts to cause the segments to contact the roller for feeding predetermined lengths of metalized material or gold leaf to the press, said clutch mechanism including a drive member freely rotatable on the roller shaft and provided with a clutching face, a complementary clutch member keyed on the roller shaft, and a pivoted arm actuated by movement of the platen of the press for clutching and declutching the clutch member with the drive member.

5. A device for feeding metalized material or gold leaf to a printing press, comprising a pair of shafts, a roller on one shaft and a plurality of segments of predetermined, different peripheral lengths on the other, and clutch mechanism for intermittently rotating the shafts to cause the segments to contact the roller for feeding predetermined lengths of metalized material or gold leaf to the press, said clutch mechanism including a drive member freely rotatable on the roller shaft and provided with a clutching face, a complementary clutch member keyed on the roller shaft, and a spring-pressed clutching pin carried by the clutch member and tending to normally clutch the members together, and means actuated by operation of the press for controlling the position of the clutching pin to clutch or declutch the clutch and drive member.

JAMES L. GORE. 

